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Al-Qaeda offers $625,000 for Prince Harry's Head
 A BOUNTY of $625,000 has been put on the head of Prince Harry once he lands in Iraq, government officials say. Insurgents affiliated to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network are circulating the offer, sources at the Foreign Office and Defence Ministry confirm. The bounty is for information leading to the prince's death. Army chiefs fear an attack on two British soldiers last week was a practice run for an attempt to kill the prince. Iraqi troops and police are being tempted by the offer to break ranks and reveal the prince's whereabouts. He is expected to arrive as early as next month, but there is still debate in Britain as to whether Harry should go. The chief fear is that soldiers under his command will come under greater threat, given the obvious target Britain's third in line to the throne would be. Army chiefs fear a dry run in preparation to kill the prince has already been made. An attack last week was on the same type of vehicle the prince will use and took place in the part of the country where he is due to be deployed. Two soldiers died when their Scimitar was hit by a roadside bomb. Harry will command four Scimitars and 11 troops. The prince has told friends he is "not afraid to die", saying after coping with the death of his mother, Princess Diana, he is ready to handle the rigours of operations. But the attack has meant a last-minute review. Army chiefs have drawn up contingency plans to fly Harry to Kuwait if they believe a base has come under attack because he is a target. Militia leaders say they have downloaded photographs of the prince from the internet and distributed them among insurgent groups. Already one militia group has declared its intention to kill the prince. Abu Zaid, commander of the Malik Ibn Al Ashtar Brigade of the Shia militia group the Medhi Army, has vowed to cut off Harry's ears. "We are awaiting the arrival of the young, handsome, spoilt prince with bated breath, and we confidently expect he will come out into the open on the battlefield," he said. "We will be generous with him. For we will return him to his grandmother, but without ears," he said.
Posted by: Oztralian 2007-04-27 |
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